This invention relates to stiffening members which are mounted over the upper edges of a paper bag to maintain the mouth of the bag in an open position and to prevent it from reverting to a folded position. More particularly it relates to a bag stiffening member which also carries a plurality of removable coupons.
It is common practice for supermarkets and variety stores to package customers' goods by placing them in a relatively tough, conventional paper bag. These paper bags or sacks are of a substantially standard size and shape, having a uniform rectangular horizontal cross-section and a flat bottom, and measuring approximately 12 inches long by 7 inches wide by 17 inches high. To enable a supermarket to conveniently store these bags for use, the bags are folded by creasing the opposing longitudinal side panels, permitting the opposing long panels to be folded together and the bottom panel to be folded alongside.
It is very common practice for purchasers of supermarket goods to save papers sacks for use around the home, e.g., as refuse receptacles. The bags may be placed inside of round or rectangular containers, such as waste baskets, or may simply be used themselves as freestanding containers, since the bags have sufficient rigidity to be self-maintaining in an upright position. The bag thereby serves as a handy disposable container for refuse. At the present time, millions of these bags are dispensed daily at no extra cost to the consumer.
A recurring and irritating problem associated with the use of paper sacks as refuse receptacles involves the "memory" of the bag which causes a tendency to return to its folded condition. When a bag is placed in upright position, the vertical creases in the opposing side panels tend to return to the folded condition, thereby closing the mouth of the bag. Accordingly, when refuse is thrown into the bag, it is necessary to reach over and open the mouth of the bag with one hand while jettisoning the refuse into the bag with the other hand.
The invention described in my co-pending application Ser. No. 255,540, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,519, solves this problem by providing a pair of stiffening members which slip over the upper edges of the creased side panels of the sack, thereby preventing the side panels from collapsing to their folded condition. The stiffening members described therein comprise a pair of rigid folded flaps which extend over the upper edges of the side panel which may be used in conjunction with a clip which extends over the flap to grip the flap in place on the side panel.
The prior art discloses certain devices which fit inside the openings of various types of bags to maintain the bag mouth in an open position. Kaiser, U.S. Pat. No. 791,472 and Boyle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,778, disclose various devices which can be inserted into the interior of limp plastic or cloth bags to provide support for holding the bags. Buttery, U.S. Pat. No. 2,430,155, also shows a holder for a plastic bag. A paper bag having its upper edges lined on the interior with a flexible but tough reinforcement member such as a wire as shown in Arai, U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,236. The internal wire permits the bag to be easily retained in the open or closed position; however, manufacture of the bag is somewhat more expensive than is justified by normal supermarket retailing operations.
The present invention relates to a combination device which is useful not only as a bag spreading means but is also useful for the distribution of advertising and discount coupons which are commonly used for supermarket products. These coupons are employed when the manufacturer or marketer of a particular product wishes to introduce a new product or to increase the demand for an existing product. Typically, coupons are distributed to potential purchasers, either by handout, mail, or by inclusion directly in a product. These coupons may entitle the bearer to a discount on future purchases, or may offer a cash refund, or make any of a variety of special offers. For coupons to be redeemed by retailers, the coupons generally contain on their face instructions to the retailer with regard to redemption and handling of the coupon after its receipt. For example, when a consumer redeems a $0.15 discount coupon on the purchase of dog food, the retailer must then return the coupon to the dog food manufacturer who in turn will pay the retailer the face value of the coupon plus a handling charge.
The present invention relates to a novel method of distributing coupons. In particular, it relates to devices which function not only as bag spreaders but also as coupon carriers, and are intended for distribution by retailers at the time consumer's products are being packed into sacks. Specifically, the invention provides a bag stiffening member having a pair of opposing side panels which extend over the upper edge of a bag, and which carries a plurality of removable advertising coupons.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a combination of a stiffening member for use with a paper bag to maintain the bag mouth in an open position with a plurality of removable advertising coupons. It is a further object of the invention to provide bag stiffeners having at least one lateral flange portion having a plurality of coupons removably attached to the bottom edge of the flange. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof.